My Method & Training with Purpose

I’m a big believer in bio-individuality and what works for one person may be another persons’ poison – because we are all “wired” differently, have different genes and different goals! However, over the years, after listening to the several opinions of fitness professionals: “weight training alone is the best”, “cardio is bad before weights”, “cardio is good”, ” interval training is where it’s at”, and many others; I have come up with a way to move that works for me and many of my clients are able to capitalize on the benefits as well… So listen up!

More often than not I’ll run into someone (not literally & literally – #donttextandbuggycartdrive it’s dangerous) at the market or in town and they will say “you must be a runner” and I’m always hesitant on how to reply because 1. Yes I run but 2. not sure what qualify’s someone as “being a runner” I mean don’t we all run at some point in our lives? And especially if you’re even somewhat active? So now I’m going to elaborate on my routine, my training and the what & why behind it!

First off, I personally use training and exercise as a way to feel more energetic, to ward off bad stress by giving my body good stress, to achieve better sleep, and to clear my mind allowing myself zone out of the daily to-do’s and responsibilities. You can think of it as a form of moving meditation, letting my body download the day and process that information! (Oh! also as an excuse to jam to extra loud music in my super big headphones, pretending I’m a rapper or at a concert for part of my day :P…. you know you’ve been there!!!)

So, in a nutshell I exercise to maintain my physical and mental health because when I feel, I look good!

The benefits of maintaining low body fat and lean muscle are definitely plus’s but never do I train for aesthetics, I train to better myself in all areas of my life and for strength! There’s something about being completely exhausted that makes me feel great; the body is strange right?!

MY METHOD

My training routines all follow a combination of the following patterns….I tend to set everything up in a circuit fashion consisting of: MRT and HIIT and end with a metabolic finisher.

MRT stands for metabolic resistance training and is performed with 4-10 strength training exercises with little to no rest between sets.

HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and is done by alternating between a high and moderate/low intensity work load. It’s great for overall conditioning.

Metabolic finishers are something that I’ve found myself looking forward to during my workout (call me crazy)! The best way I can explain them is “emptying the tank” in the words of Roger Federer. It’s a circuit performed at the end of a workout, it’s short in duration and balls to the wall effort, to finish your workout in total exhaustion. It helps to carry on the burning effect you achieve from exercise throughout the day.

While fat loss is currently not a goal of mine; these in combination are great for fat loss, maintaining weight goals and are very time savvy. They allows for a more effective workout in a shorter amount of time than other common methods. Most of my routines are between 35-40 minutes including warm up and cool down.

My weekly training cycles between days of:

Weight training
Body weight training
Cardiovascular training (swimming & running)
Active recovery days

Other than this I stick to my daily non-negotiable’s of:

Foam rolling along with a set of stretches, every morning, as soon as I wake to promote blood circulation and to get my body up and running for the day.
Cooling down and then stretching after every workout.
Myofacial release and deep tissue massages 2-3 times a month to help to prevent injuries and aid recovery.

While all this is very important for those looking to achieve and maintain specific weight and fitness goals; NO workout can override a bad diet, period. Look into these sessions for further help in this area:

What is your favorite way to train? Comment below, I’d love to hear your method! Don’t have one? If you’re interested in working together to find what works best for YOU; see my “Work With Me” page; or check out the NN Shop to book a session today. Subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of this page to receive updates on events like my Weekend Bootcamps, FitBrit Battles, and group classes.

With Good Food, Feelings & Love,

-Nelli